Conveyor chain



p 1967 G. LACOSTE ETAL CONVEYOR CHAIN Filed Nov. 5, 1965 IN l/E N TOR;Gearyes M6057! .d Elphq'ge PET/7' 7 F j Donafien INC/C07 Hec'ror VINCENTAGENT United States Patent 3,339,711 CONVEYOR CHAIN Georges Lacoste, St.Jean-Baptiste de Rouville, Quebec, Elphege Petit, St. Valerien, Quebec,Donatien Racicot, St. Paul dAbbotsford, Quebec, and Hector Vincent, St.Valerien, Quebec, Canada, assignors La Cie Hydrolic Vincent Ltee, St.Valerien, Quebec, Canada Filed Nov. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 506,531 2 Claims.(Cl. 198175) The present invention relates to a conveyor chainespecially designed for use in a stable-cleaning system, but which canalso have other applications which require a chain having a greatresistance to traction relative to its weight per unit length and inwhich the chain comes into frictional engagement with stationarysurfaces.

It is known that in stable-cleaning apparatuses, the conveyor chain isthe weakest element of the assembly and the one which breaks more often.Stables on farms tend to become larger and larger and the conveyorchains of the stable-cleaning apparatus have to be longer and longer andare subjected to very large traction forces. Moreover, these chains aresubjected to extensive wear because they come in frictional engagementwith the concrete bottom of the manure-receiving trough and againststationary guiding elements.

The chains in turn cause wear of the concrete bottom of the trough andalso of the sprocket wheels which guide and exert a pulling action onthe chains.

The wear of these last-named elements is caused by the fact that thebearing surface of the chain links is relatively small, especially thoseof conventional chains wherein the links are made from completelycircular steel rods.

The general object of the present invention resides, therefore, in theprovision of a conveyor chain for stablecleaning apparatus and the like,which, for an equal weight per unit length, relative to the conventionalchain, has a much larger resistance to traction and to wear.

Yet another object of the present invention resides in the provision ofa chain of the character described, provided with simple means forsecuring thereto the scraper blades, the latter being such that they canbe secured to the left hand or right hand side of the chain.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a chain ofthe character described, which can be turned in two planes at rightangles, whereby the chain can be easily guided around conventionalcorner wheels or about inverted corners, and also around up-and-downwheels of a stable-cleaning apparatus, or other conveyor systems.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of achain of the character described, which is of relatively simple andinexpensive construction. The chain in accordance with the invention ischaracterized by the fact that each link of the chain consists of anelongated loop made of a bar of exactly semi-circular or half-roundcross-section, with the flat face disposed on the outside of the loopand with the ends of the loop each forming in the median plane of theloop a semicircular internal line having a radius of curvaturesubstantially equal to the radius of curvature of the crosssection ofthe bar forming the loop.

When the chain is used for barn cleaners, scraper blade securingbrackets may be conveniently welded, or otherwise secured, flat againstthe outside flat face of spaced links of the chain.

The invention is also characterized by the fact that the scraper bladesecuring means have two mutually perpendicular wings extendingtransversely to the median plane of the links to which they are secured,the horizontal 3,339,711 Patented Sept. 5, 1967 'ice wing having adownward lip at its free edge, and that the scraper blade has anL-shaped cross-section fitting within the bracket and is provided withholes at the two ends for securing either end to the bracket so that thescraper blade may be used to the right or left of the chain.

The foregoing and other important objects of the pre sent invention willbecome more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring tothe drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial plan view of an assembly of the chain inaccordance with the invention and of scraper blades attached thereto;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken along line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 3-3 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section of a coupling link, on a still larger scale,and taken along line -44 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate like elements throughout, the chain in accordancewith the invention is generally indicated at 1 and consists of a seriesof links 2 engaging one another in conventional manner.

The chain is made of standard substantially equal lengths and thedifferent lengths can be coupled one to the other by means of couplinglinks 3, in order to form an endless chain of the desired length.

In accordance with the invention, links 2 instead of being made fromcircular steel rods, are formed from steel bars having a semi-circularcross-section, the flat face 4 of each link being disposed at theexterior of the latter. The steel bar constituting one link is bent overitself at degrees at two spaced locations to form an elongated loop, andthe free ends of the steel bar are welded together, as shown at 5.

Two adjacent links are engaged one with the other in conventional mannerand such that their inner convex faces are in direct contact. Twoadjacent links are in planes perpendicular one with respect to theother.

Because the bends at the ends of the links have a radius of curvature ofvery close tolerance, the internal convex surfaces of the links mateexactly with each other, to thereby decrease localized wear. Moreover,the links can pivot with respect to each other into perpendicularplanes; in practice, in a horizontal and in a vertical plane.

The coupling links 3 are also made of a half-round steel bar, but thefree ends of the steel bar are spaced from each other and areinterconnected by an external plate 6 in direct contact with theexternal flat face 4 of the link and are rigidly secured to the latterby means of bolts 7 having a high resistance to tension and to shear.

Bolts 7 are screwed within threaded holes of the link 3. Preferably,plate 6 is secured to link 3 by means of four bolts 7.

Certain ones of links 2 are provided with means for securingstable-cleaning blades 8 when the chain is used in a stable-cleaningapparatus.

These blades have an L-shaped cross-section and, in accordance with theinvention, the vertical flange of the blade is provided with a hole 9 ateach end of the blade.

The blade-securing means consist of a blade-securing element 10 havingan L-shaped cross-section and having a length slightly greater than thethickness of the link 2.

The horizontal wing 11 of the element 10 is disposed transversely to thelink 2 and is directly secured to the flat face 4 of the latter bywelding, as shown at 12. Link 2 is in a plane perpendicular to wing 11.

The vertical wing 13 of element 10 is provided with a hole with whichone or the other of holes 9 of blade 8 comes in register for receiving abolt and nut 14 to secure the blade 8 to element 10*.

Wing 11 is provided with a lip 15 at its free edge having a heightsubstantially equal to the thickness of the steel plate forming blade 8.The latter is inserted within element and with the free edge of itshorizontal flange in contact with lip of element 10.

Blade 8 can be secured to the chain, such as to extend to the left orright of the latter in accordance with the selected one of the holes 9used for securing blade 8 to element 10, in such a position that thehorizontal flange of blade 8 is leading, that is, extending forwardly inthe direction of movement of the stable-cleaning chain.

Because the chain links in accordance with the invention are made fromhalf-round steel bars instead of completely round steel rods, thefollowing advantages are obtained:

For an equal weight of chain per unit length, the convex inside surfacesof the links are much greater than in conventional chains made ofcompletely round stock. Therefore, the wear produced by the frictionalengagement of the chain links one with the other during pivotal movementand when the links engage sprocket wheels, is much less than inconventional chains. In fact, comparative trial uses have been made withchains of the same weight per unit length and made of the same steelalloy, and it has been found that the chains in accordance with thepresent invention have 40% less wear than chains made of completelyround rods.

Moreover, because the external faces 4 or 4' of the chain links areflat, they provide a much larger bearing surface than chain links havinga round outside surface. Thus, the chain in accordance with theinvention is subjected to less wear when it comes in frictional contactwith any stationary surface, such as the concrete surface of thestable-cleaning trough and the guiding plates of a stable-cleaningapparatus. Inversely, there is less wear on these concrete surfaces andguiding plates.

Another advantage resides in the fact that the coupling plates 6 aremade of flat stock and are in contact with the entire surface of theflat faces 4 of links 3.

Also, elements 10 can be very rigidly welded to the links 2, because ofthe flat faces 4 of the links 2 and the flat faces of the horizontalflange of elements 10. This also enables to secure element 10 to thelink 2 in such a manner that the latter will stand in a vertical planewith blade 8 disposed horizontally in the trough to be cleaned. Thisallows the links 2 provided with blades 8 to engage in an accuratemanner the teeth of the sprocket wheels guiding and driving the chain.

Traction experiments have been made on various stablecleaning chains ofconventional construction and actually on the market and having links ofvarious forms and shapes, and it has been found that the best chainwhich has been tried, which had a weight of 3% pounds per foot, becomesnon-usable due to excessive elongation when subjected to a traction of17,000 pounds. On the other hand, the chain in accordance with theinvention, when made of a size weighing 4 pounds per foot, remainsusable up to a traction of 40,000 pounds. Thus, the chain in accordancewith the invention has a resistance to traction of more than twice thatof the best chains on the market for stable-cleaning purposes, for anequal weight per foot.

While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention has beenillustrated and described, it is understood that various modificationsmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A conveyor chain for a stable-cleaning system consisting of chaindisposed in substantially perpendicular planes, each link consisting ofa bar bent back over itself to form an elongated loop, said bar havingan exactly semi-circular and uniform cross-section with the convex faceof the steel bar disposed in the interior of the loop and the flat faceof the bar disposed at the exterior of the loop, the ends of the barbeing aligned and secured one to the other, fixation elements secured tocertain ones of said links, said fixation elements consisting of a pieceproviding two mutually perpendicular flat wings, the first one of saidwings being secured flat against the flat exterior face of the linktransversely to the latter and disposed in a plane perpendicular to theplane of the loop of said link, and a-blade, of L-shaped crosssection,inserted at one end within said fixation element in such a manner thatthe flanges of said blade be in contact with the wings of said fixationelement respectively, and means for removably securing said blade tosaid fixation element and, wherein said first one of said wings of saidfixation element is provided at its free edge with a lip adapted tooverlap the free edge of the flange of said blade in contact with saidfirst-named wing on said fixation element, and said means for securingsaid blade to said fixation element comprises a bolt passing throughaligned holes made at one end of said blade and in the second wing ofsaid fixation element, and a nut screwed on said bolt, said blade beingprovided with a second hole made at its other end to enable securingsaid blade to the right or left of said chain.

2. A conveyor chain for a stable-cleaning system consisting of chainlinks engaged one with the other, any two adjacent chain links beingdisposed in substantially perpendicular planes, each link consisting ofa bar bent back over itself to form an elongated loop, said bar havingan exactly semi-circular and uniform cross-section with the convex faceof the steel bar disposed in the interior of the loop and the flat faceof the bar disposed at the ex terior of the loop, the ends of the barbeing aligned and secured one to the other, fixation elements secured tocertain ones of said links, said fixation elements consisting of a pieceproviding two mutually perpendicular flat wings, the first one of saidwings being secured fiat against the flat exterior face of the linktransversely to the latter and disposed in a plane perpendicular to theplane of the loop of said link, and a blade, of L-shaped cross-section,inserted at one end within said fixation element in such a manner thatthe flanges of said blade be in contact with the wings of said fixationelement respectively, and means for removably securing said blade tosaid fixation element and wherein said chain is composed of severallengths and comprising coupling links for coupling said lengths one tothe other, each coupling link consisting of a bar bent back over itselfto form an elongated loop, the ends of said bar being spaced from eachother, said bar having an exactly semi-circular and uniformcross-section with the convex face of said steel bar disposed withinsaid loop and the flat face of said bar disposed exteriorly of saidloop, each end of the loop forming in the median plane of the loop asemi-circular internal line having a radius of curvature substantiallyequal to the radius of curvature of the cross-section of said bar and acoupling plate having a fiat face in direct contact with the flat facesof said bar at the two ends of the latter and bolts passing through saidplate and screwed within the ends of said bar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 759,429 10/1956 Great Britain.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

R. J. HICKEY, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CONVEYOR CHAIN FOR A STABLE-CLEANING SYSTEM CONSISTING OF CHAINDISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR PLANES, EACH LINK CONSISTING OFA BAR HAVING AN EXSELF TO FORM AN ELONGATED LOOP, SAID BAR HAVING ANEXACTLY SEMI-CIRCULAR AND UNIFORM CROSS-SECTION WITH THE CONVEX FACE OFTHE STEEL BAR DISPOSED IN THE INTERIOR OF THE LOOP AND THE FLAT FACE OFTHE BAR DISPOSED AT THE EXTERIOR OF THE LOOP, THE ENDS OF THE BAR BEINGALIGNED AND SECURED ONE TO THE OTHER, FIXATION ELEMENTS SECURED TOCERTAIN ONES OF SAID LINKS, SAID FIXATION ELEMENTS CONSISTING OF A PIECEPROVIDING TWO MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR FLAT WINGS, THE FIRST ONE OF SAIDWINGS BEING SECURED FLAT AGAINST THE FLAT EXTERIOR FACE OF THE LINKTRANSVERSELY TO THE LATTER AND DISPOSED IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THEPLANE OF THE LOOP OF SAID LINK, AND A BLADE, OF L-SHAPED CROSSSECTION,INSERTED AT ONE END WITHIN SAID FIXATION ELEMENT IN SUCH A MANNER THATTHE FLANGES OF SAID BLADE BE IN CONTACT WITH THE WINGS OF SAID FLANGESELEMENT RESPECTIVELY, AND MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING SAID BLADE TOSAID FIXATION ELEMENT AND, WHEREIN SAID FIRST ONE OF SAID WINGS OF SAIDFIXATION ELEMENT IS PROVIDED AT ITS FREE EDGE WITH A LIP ADAPTED TOOVERLAP THE FREE EDGE OF THE FLANGE OF SAID BLADE IN CONTACT WITH SAIDFIRST-NAMED WING ON SAID FIXATION ELEMENT, AND SAID MEANS FOR SECURINGSAID BLADE TO SAID FIXATION ELEMENT COMPRISES A BOLT PASSING THROUGHALIGNED HOLES MADE AT ONE END OF SAID BLADE AND IN THE SECOND WING OFSAID FIXATION ELEMENT, AND A NUT SCREWED ON SAID BOLT, SAID BLADE BEINGPROVIDED WITH A SECOND HOLE MADE AT ITS OTHER END TO ENABLE SECURINGSAID BLADE TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT OF SAID CHAIN.